At the end of April, all New York state students in
grades 3-8 are tested in English Language Arts (reading,
listening, and writing). The tests include reading with
multiple choice questions, listening and writing tasks,
as well as reading and writing tasks. Throughout the
school year, our teachers instruct their students in the
essential components of literacy. Here’s how you can
support your child’s literacy at home:
Comprehension
âžž When
you are reading with your child, together share your
ideas about what you read:
-your reaction to a character event, or information
-what you wonder or predict
-connections that you make to personal experiences or
other books
âžž Ask
thought-provoking questions, rather than literal
questions. For example, ask, “What does this part of
the reading make you think about?” “What do you think
that author wants you to learn?”
Word Identification
When your child comes to a word that he/she does not
know, prompt your child to:
âžž Read
through the whole word by tapping out the sounds and
putting them back together. For example, tap
c-a-t;
then say it fast,
cat.
Tap
sch-oo-l;
say it fast,
school.
âžž Chunk
the word into parts and put the parts back together. For example,
doorbell = door + bell; reading =
read + ing;
untie = un + tie.
âžž Skip
the word and read the rest of the sentence. Stop
and think
to determine a word that would make sense in the
sentence and that matches the beginning, middle, and
ending letter sounds.
Vocabulary Development
âžž Enjoy
reading frequently to your child, and have your child
read to you.
âžž Talk
about the meaning of interesting words or words that
have more than one meaning. Model the use of
sophisticated words and encourage your child to use
these words, too. Children love to use new and vivid
vocabulary.
âžž When
your child is reading and comes to a word that he/she
does not know, have him/her read the sentence or
paragraph that contains the word. Help your child to
identify the context clues and letter-sound clues that
will help to determine the meaning.
Emilie Buchwald, children’s author, reminds us,
“Children become readers on the laps of their
parents.” Enjoy your time reading together during the
April break and all year long!